Wednesday 17-03-2021 - 11:40

TW: brief mention of violence against women

Max Kendix, Assembly Media Observer, reports from the November Assembly meeting.

The second Assembly of Epiphany Term 2021 came soon after the tragic death of Durham alumna Sarah Everard. The Officers have since written a joint statement on the issue, and a memorial table has been set up outside Dunelm House. 

SU President and interim Assembly Chair Seun Twins started the meeting by saying: “The fact that a young woman cannot walk safely home without such a tragedy happening to her is heart-breaking, but it is also an affirmation of our reality”. She called a one-minute silence for Sarah and her family, as well as the “many nameless victims of senseless violence”. Durham students can find relevant resources here.

Following the minute silence, Officers, Committee Chairs and Association Presidents delivered their updates, including awareness of an online vigil held by the Womxn’s Association, work on a postgraduate access and participation policy, active bystander facilitation, and a plan to trial different forms of Assembly in March as part of the Democracy Review.

Opportunities Officer Anna Marshall answered questions on Easter Term, noting attempts to facilitate outdoor gathering for student groups in mid-April following government guidance – but warned there was no certainty surrounding summer balls.

National Union of Students (NUS) 

The first motion of the afternoon, presented by Societies Chair Romer Palad, called for a referendum on Durham Students’ Union affiliation with the NUS, a national confederation of SUs. The motion noted that £22,000 was paid by Durham SU to affiliate with NUS in 20/21, around 2.5% of the SU’s expected annual income. 

Romer cited claimed the NUS has a “chronic lack of capability in managing finances”, systemic antisemitism and an irrelevance of the NUS amongst Durham students, adding that NUS affiliationit should be included in ongoing SU reviews of democracy and culture

A procedural motion soon split the motion into two sections – one to examine in principle Durham SU’s relationship with external structures and encouraging open communication and consultation with Durham students on the NUS, and one committing to a referendum on affiliation in Easter Term. Similar referenda were held in Durham in 2010, 2011 and 2016.

The motion sparked a wide-ranging discussion on the merits of NUS affiliation. While some members argued other SUs had been successful without the NUS, others stressed the importance of collective student representation on a national level, the lack of alternatives available for NUS services, and the prioritisation of SU resources this year.

Anna Marshall called the motion a “very populist move”: “The work the NUS does is undervalued [… it] has lobbied the government and secured £174m in student support during Covid-19 […] everything that actually teaches me how to do my job tends to be from the NUS”. 
Some members, including Durham People of Colour Association President Dan Takyi, emphasised the “crucial resources” the NUS provided for liberation activities, including hosting a Black Students Conference and Liberation Conference.

Romer Palad insisted the move was necessary, however, saying “I don’t believe the NUS has the strong voice it had in the past”. Assembly voted to explore the NUS relationship in principle, but overwhelmingly rejected plans to hold a referendum this year.

Erasmus

Two further motions presented to Assembly saw more consensus. The first, also presented by Romer Palad, called for a “cohesive strategy to replicate the benefits of the bilateral [departmental] agreements that we already have and have been building since the inception of Erasmus in 1987”. The motion passed with a large majority.

Antisemitism

The second, presented by the Jewish Society (JSoc), called for a permanent acceptance by the SU of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism. JSoc President Miriam Makin, who does not sit on Assembly, asked to enshrine the definition and examples, found here, permanently after a 2018 Assembly motion on the issue expired.

Explaining that “antisemitism is rising globally and on campus, so we must take action to begin to combat it”, she noted that passing the motion would “build trust between Jewish students and their Students’ Union” and give students confidence in SU procedure. The motion passed comfortably.

Seun Twins ended the meeting by asking people to nominate themselves as Chair and Vice Chair of Assembly. 

Watch Assembly here

You can watch the full Assembly meeting here: